Letter to the Editor: Supporting the military

Some people have compared the war in Iraq to the Vietnam war. I think the two wars are completely different, however there are some similarities. Now, as then, many good men and women are heroically answering the call to serve our country. Every day these brave soldiers of the past and present performed or perform deeds that most of us will not be asked of in our lifetimes. Unfortunately there are other similarities as well.

Now as then, politicians are trying to exploit this war's military and civilian losses. Congressman Murtha, a favorite of the Democratic Party, worries about "a slow withdrawal which makes it look like there's a victory." Murtha and many other emocrat politicians, who originally supported war in Iraq, now call for a rapid redeployment. He has publicly called the army broken. If this was true, and it isn't, he should work to correct the problem, not alert our enemy to our weakness.

In our country we are allowed to voice our opinions. We can support or oppose any policy. This support or opposition can be shown in the form of elections. The time to oppose war is before the killing starts. War is a serious business and once it begins we should unify in our support.

Like the Vietnam war the war in Iraq is a noble cause. Regrettably our country's leadership and some of the citizens at home let the people down who fought the Vietnam War. This time our leadership has not let the military down and we have a duty as citizens not to commit the sins of our past. We must be resolute in our support. We must not deny or delay the endorsement and gratitude that our brave military deserves.